That's really it...what you're doing is not really 'marketing.' For small business today, the bottom line of marketing is:
- Knowing exactly who your target market is
- Making dead sure your overall branding and positioning speaks directly and compellingly to them
- Finding out where the majority of your target market is residing
- Shining the laser beam of your offering directly in their path
This is my second post on this same subject in two weeks. Why? Rule number one in marketing...repitition. It's truth. Plus, we have an event on the subject in 24 days.
If you are the above bullet points well, then your greatest problem right now is keeping up with the influx of new business and you don't need to waste your time reading this post…it's not for you.
If however, you need more business…or you are building your offering now so you can soon launch…then read on below after this brief...MARKETING:
Want to just make it happen…guarantee your marketing efforts and ensure your business success for 2011? That's a big claim…and I'm making it. Join key Free Agent rockstars and let them map out your personal 6-month marketing plan. On Oct. 29-31 in Woodland Park, CO at the 'Expose Yourself' Intensive event, join Dan Miller - bestselling author of '48 Days To The Work You Love' and 'No More Mondays' (as seen on Dave Ramsey's Fox TV Show), Dave Munson - owner of Saddleback Leather Co., Jimi Gibson - global brand and marketing director and now guru behind Saddleback's success, and FreeAgentAcademy leaders Kevin Miller, Chuck Bowen (biz coach to the stars) and Justin Lukasavige (CoachRadio.TV).
This is an intimate workshop where I, Kevin Miller, am not only gauranteeing the event's value for you, but claiming it will give you the best return on investment of any seminar, conference or workshop you've ever attended. Period. Attendance is limited.
- Oct. 29-31, 2010 Free Agent Academy Intensive Event in Colorado: Expose Yourself
*We'll also be celebrating this as the 5th and final 'Intensive' event of 2010!
Over the past year of walking with hundreds of aspiring, new and existing free agents, THE NUMBER ONE NEED is...more exposure. More interest and prospects to see the wonderful product, service or message they have.
I wear this statement out, but I must…as the disease continues to proliferate in the business world:
"Just because you built it…they will NOT come."
Having a:
- Product, Service, Message
- Name, tagline, logo
- Website
- Blog
- Facebook page and Fanpage
- Twitter account
- LinkedIn network
None of this is true marketing. These are merely landing pages FOR your marketing. Places to drive folks once you've gotten their attention, where you can nurture relationships. Trying to use them to build your audience, such as following ten thousand people on Twitter in order to get their reciprocated follow-backs to give you big numbers, will hurt you, not help you. I get a few Twitter followers per day. Any time they are following more people than they are being followed by, I pay no attention. The only true way to know if someone has value is if their followers are far greater than those they follow.
Folks, having all those bullets above is like having an incredible restaurant a mile or more off a busy interstate. Everything is in place to do great business and serve folks well. But people can't see you, they don't know you are there. Your sign is too far away from the target market.
True marketing is taking that business and great sign, and placing it right next to the interstate. And not just any interstate, but the primary bypass that your specific target market travels. And to do this means you must…Expose Yourself. Intentionally and purposefully. You must step out and make an offering.
How? The reason you don't know how is that cookie-cutter or broad scope ideals don't work anymore, not unless you are a global brand like Coke or Nike. For a small business, the 'how' is as personal as your underwear…and you don't want to try on anyone else's.
If you take successful free agents today, they have each found places to market themselves that fit their:
- Personality style
- Sales strategy
- Target market
- Budget
- Relationships
And the most important bullet of those is the last…relationships, as nailing that can overcompensate for all the others.
You need to look at advertising, affiliate relationships, getting interviews and articles posted and other direct and sustained marketing efforts. But what will serve you more than anything is developing relationships with people and organizations that already have the ear of YOUR target audience. It's not easy, but it's worth putting 75% of your efforts towards. Even for myself, no amount of money could eclipse what I gained from being a guest on the Zig Ziglar Success 2.0 show. That took two years to nurture. And your doesn't need to be that big.
So your lessons from this post:
- Having your storefront and all the 'signs' is not marketing. It's shouting in the dessert.
- You must create a strategic plan to get in front of your target audience with a message that specifically speaks to them. And that comes from your personal strengths and positioning.
- Relationships with entities that have the ears and eyes of your target audience…are paramount.
- Trying to apply general marketing to your personal biz won't result in much. You need guidance and help.
Take this knowledge and go create a marketing strategy and plan for yourself. Or...catapult your progress and make sure you actually DO progress, by joining us Oct. 29-31, 2010 in Colorado for the 'Expose Yourself' event.
Agent K Miller
Marketing...to you
P.S. Speaking of 'exposing yourself,' if you have small children...specifically kids nearing or around the age of two...who aren't potty trained...get enlightened by today's post (Potty Princess) at this informative, counter-cultural blog by a woman I'm having a mad affair with: http://freeagentmommy.com
